


musings of a hive mind

by Birdschach



Category: Baccano!
Genre: Gen, Introspection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-05-18 16:43:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19338490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Birdschach/pseuds/Birdschach
Summary: Sham thinks. It is a simple thing for him, and something he does constantly. It’s not as if he isn’t doing anything else, with his countless bodies all living independently even as he thinks. But still, the mind behind them all, which is indisputably Sham, thinks.





	musings of a hive mind

Sham thinks. It is a simple thing for him, and something he does constantly. It’s not as if he isn’t doing anything else, with his countless bodies all living independently even as he thinks. But still, the mind behind them all, which is indisputably Sham, thinks. His recent gambit seems to have gone off fairly well, minus a few hang ups, and he can’t help running it all back over in his mind.

 

Huey doesn’t seem to have noticed, conflict was, while perhaps not kept to a minimum, at least cleaned up in the end. And, most important of all, he tested his limits and gained quite a bit of new information. His little rebellion was not much, but it is a start. And, now, he feels a certain confidence as he moves forward. Of course, that confidence is far from invincible. He can think of a few players that could shatter it, Huey of course being the first that comes to mind. 

 

But. There is another. One that Sham would not have thought much of, before Alcatraz. The self-proclaimed Ticking Crocodile, Ladd Russo. A person that Sham now had quite a bit of respect for. Respect, tempered with a heavy mix of fear and disdain. Ladd wasn’t the type of man you could plan around, as Sham had so easily learned in the secret cell beneath the prison, during his showdown with Huey as Felix Walken. 

 

The man was violence incarnate, with a near insatiable bloodlust that could intimidate even one who was so accustomed to having overwhelming numbers on his side. And, the man was cunning enough that even a clever ruse involving a beloved hostage would simply fall apart under his scrutiny. Were Sham not careful, a small shudder might run through the bodies under his control, even simply remembering the wave of intimidation Ladd Russo emanated as he stood his ground against 4 unknown assassins, even as they threatened the well-being of his beloved Lua Klein.

 

He was a man that Sham would like very much not to face again, but also one that he knew would be likely to factor into his plans once more, considering his obvious hatred of Huey Laforet. Sham also knew that it was unlikely he could ever best him in a fight. Numbers were one hell of an advantage, as the consciousness that controlled thousands knew quite well. But, in a way, it was a disadvantage as well.

 

Sham, to put it simply, was spread too thin for one-on-one combat. It was difficult to follow the intricacies of a talented fighter while also controlling thousands of bodies, and making sure whatever ruse each of them were wrapped up in went unnoticed. As such, a man with as much skill and experience as Ladd Russo would always make short work of him, unless approached with a proper advantage. Though, it was worth remembering that “proper advantage” should have been exactly what Sham had in that cell. Outnumbering him four to one, with Dragon’s teeth, Gig’s strength, the guard’s rifle, and the skill of the fourth Felix Walken, it should have been an easy fight. Especially using Ladd’s  fiancée as a bargaining chip, once Sham heard the lengths Ladd had gone to for her in the past.

 

But it all came to nothing, in the end. Ladd’s ruthlessness and combat prowess floored his group of bodies almost effortlessly, leaving Sham to rely on a spur of the moment alliance to achieve his goals. Luckily, Firo did not fail him, but the consciousness still wracks his minds, trying to think of how he had gone wrong. Even now, he knows Lua waits patiently for Ladd, with Graham planning to make a place for the ex-Russo assassin to come home to. Of course, Sham hadn’t  _ truly  _ had as much access to Lua as he had let on, but he assumed his threats would work regardless.

 

But Ladd “trusted” Lua. And somehow, that was enough for him to overcome the threats, and the final advantage Sham could rely on.  Even now, Sham had no idea what that trust meant. He wasn’t privy to the explanation Firo reluctantly listened to, he couldn’t have known that his description of “bright eyed and bushy tailed” was an obvious trap, but even without that. Most men wouldn’t take such a risk with their loved ones, on some blind trust. 

 

Of course, thinking of the past isn’t going to do Sham any favors. He knows he’ll run into Ladd Russo again. It is, in a word, inevitable. His position in Graham’s gang insures it, and that is a position he isn’t planning on giving up any time soon. As wild and reckless as Ladd’s sworn little brother may be, he’s quite a powerful pawn. And while he’s not exactly  _ easy _ to manipulate, Sham seems to have a knack for it. Naturally, Graham isn’t unaware of  _ something _ going on with Shaft. Sham took him over at a time when Graham would have had no way of knowing, and assumed that Graham would be far too caught up in his own ramblings, and his own ridiculous schemes, to notice one gang member acting strangely.

 

But Sham had been warned already. 

 

“Don’t go thinkin’ I ain’t got eyes.” the blonde had warned. While Sham was sure Graham had no guess as to what was going on with Shaft, and the consciousness that controlled him, it was likely he had some idea that his former friend and gang member wasn’t quite who he seemed. And that he was acting on behalf of someone else.

 

Still, it seemed that as long as Sha(m)ft didn’t do anything Graham disagreed with outright, he would trust him. Which was, put simply, a relief. If Ladd Russo was a problem, Graham Specter was easily on the same level. The two of them were, in many ways, similar. Though it would be hard to measure them against each other, and even less likely that they’d ever fight, the two of them were each fearsome in their own right. Of course, Graham’s aversion to killing was the only thing that truly held him back. Still, Sham could say with absolute confidence that he would like to avoid having either Graham or Ladd as an opponent again. 

 

Of that, Sham was certain. His rebellion would continue, but there were a few more names added to a list of those he’d rather not face. Another person flashed briefly through his memories, a red-haired Felix Walken he had encountered at Mist Wall, and another on the list of those he’d rather not face. Regardless, Sham’s resolve has never been stronger. Perhaps, in part, due to his chat with Isaac Dian. With that, the consciousness' thoughts shift once more.


End file.
